Thermal fields in dissimilar 7055 Al and 2197 Al-Li alloy FSW T-joints: numerical simulation and experimental verification

• Published in: International journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 103; no. 9-12; pp. 3495 - 3512
• Main Authors: Zuo, D. Q., Cao, Z. Q., Cao, Y. J., Huo, L. B., Li, W. Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.08.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alloys; Aluminum base alloys; Aluminum-lithium alloys; CAD; CAE) and Design; Computer aided design; Computer simulation; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Dissimilar material joining; Engineering; Finite element method; Friction stir welding; Heat; Heat transfer; Industrial and Production Engineering; Mathematical models; Mechanical Engineering; Media Management; Metal plates; Original Article; Physical properties; Program verification (computers); Tee joints; Temperature profiles; Thermal analysis; Thermocouples; Three dimensional models; FSW-T; ANSYS; Thermal field; Dissimilar alloy; Heat source model; Heat transfer
• ISSN: 0268-3768; 1433-3015
• DOI: 10.1007/s00170-019-03465-z

A 3D transient computational thermal model is developed to investigate the heat transfer effects arising during friction stir welding (FSW) in dissimilar alloys with a T-joint. Specifically, a dual-heat-source-based mathematic model is derived on the basis of theories of classical as well as adhesive friction while using the actual fixture geometry adopted in the corresponding FSW experiment. A sliding mesh method is used to represent the positions of the dynamic heat source to capture the complex motion of the rotational smooth pin, and the FSW-T process of the stiffener with the corresponding thermal physical properties being obtained by JMAT software and simulated by APDL programming codes in ANSYS. The actual FSW experiment is carried out on alloy plates with a T-joint whose temperature histories were recorded at by the embedded thermocouples (Ps) placed at specified positions. The transient temperature profiles predicted are found to be in good agreement with those monitored during FSW-T. This has confirmed the validity and the reliability of the thermal model, thus indicating that it could be used to reflect the heat transfer process of FSW-T rather than resorting to an actual test.